Currently, computing workloads are processed within relatively static data centers. Disaster recovery mechanisms exist to transfer data or processing to an alternate site based on an outage at an original data center location. The power costs relating to information technology (IT) have been steadily increasing, causing some experts to predict that power costs will soon overtake computer hardware costs.
Grid computing enables the distribution of compute workloads based on available resources. It does not include methods for the determination of processing location based on real-time energy costs.
Equipment power needs are a significant burden for corporate IT budgets. Many servers are underutilized, indicating that processing capacity may exist in locations with lower energy costs. Not utilizing this capacity causes unnecessary incurred expense for organizations using status quo redistribution techniques.